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Britain’s borders are too porous to prevent jihadi terrorists smuggling weapons into the country, a major review of counter terrorism arrangements has found.

Marauding Paris-style gun attacks are now the “new normal” for Islamic State terrorists plotting against Europe and there are “real concerns” about how easy they may find it to get guns into Britain, the independent study found.

Lord Toby Harris of Haringey was asked by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to carry out an independent review of the capital's readiness to deal with a major terrorist incident in the wake of atrocities in Brussels and Paris.

Marauding attacks such as that on Paris in 2015 are the "new normal" for Islamic State plottersCredit:
Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

The 62-page reviewfound Britain’s borders “are not as secure as they should be and much greater efforts should be made to prevent the illegal transportation of weapons and people into the country".

"It would be naive in the extreme to assume that would-be terrorists will not attempt to exploit any such weaknesses."

A Border Force officer checking passportsCredit:
Steve Parsons/PA

It remains more difficult for criminals to get weapons in Britain than on the continent, Lord Harris found.

But he said there were “real concerns about how potentially easy it might be for terrorists (or, for that matter, organised crime groups) to bring firearms into the UK."

He said the London mayor needed assurances routine screening and searching of cars and freight at border ports was being “significantly enhanced”.

Despite the UK’s police and intelligence agencies being among the best in the world, a serious attack is "a matter of not if, but when", according to the report.

It also recommended using mass text message alerts to advise Londoners of any major attack.

Fifty of the 73 highest risk crowded places across the country are in London, with any attack in the capital likely to have a significant impact on the national economy, according to the report.

It suggested that the potential cost of a Paris-style attack in the capital could top £1 billion.

Lord Harris added: "I remained concerned about the potential leakage of firearms into the country, which is why I have made recommendations about bolstering the presence to avoid arms smuggling at our borders and so on."

Mr Khan said: "We know looking with what happened in Paris and Brussels, in Nice - that there is a real possibility that terrorists want to cause damage to us and our way of life.

"The threat level is severe which means a terror attack is highly likely. I don't want to alarm or concern Londoners but that is a fact of life I am afraid."